Rain, Rain, Come Again
by chakramchaser
Summary: A/O: Alex and Olivia are stranded in the precinct for the night, courtesy of a particularly nasty thunderstorm.
1. Chapter 1

The lightning flashed relentlessly, barely giving the sky time to return to its normal nighttime colour before being illuminated again. Olivia Benson's face could be seen in the blue light. She was leaning over her desk, sorting out paperwork. She glanced at the clock on the wall.

_God, it's 11:30. I need to get home already…_

The precinct was deserted at this hour. Elliot, Cragen, Tutuola and Munch had gone home hours earlier. Olivia, having nobody waiting for her in her apartment, had decided to stay behind and catch up on some paperwork. But that was before the storm had started.

She bent her head down and resumed working. Just as she was getting into a rhythm, a huge crack of thunder sent her jumping out of her seat. She raised her hand to her forehead as she took some deep breaths to calm herself. She sat down and leaned back, her hands in her hair.

A noise came from within the building. Olivia sat up, her brow furrowed. She thought she was the only one here.

The noise again. It was getting louder. The swinging of a door, followed by footsteps.

Olivia stood, alarmed. She put her hands on the gun still in its holster on her belt. She retreated into the shadows and hid. The footsteps grew louder still. They stopped just at the door. Olivia heard the knob click and watched as the door swung open slowly.

Olivia recognized the tall blonde immediately. She stepped out of the shadows. "Alex!" She exclaimed.

Alex gasped and jumped as her hand flew to her chest. She exhaled deeply at the sight of Olivia standing in front of the window.

"Jesus, Detective," she said breathlessly. Olivia approached the ADA slowly.

"Sorry, Alex," she said with a smile. "But it's only fair! You gave me a pretty good scare with your footsteps out there. I thought I was alone!"

"Well, me too," Alex said with a laugh as she took a seat on Elliot's desk. "My car decided to die on me, and the lot was deserted. So I just came back in. I figured I would just borrow a bed and spend the night." The ADA shed her coat, which was soaking wet, and hung it on the back of Elliot's chair.

"Well, you could call a cab," Olivia suggested. "I was just finishing up some paperwork myself, and I was going to call one later. I walked this morning," she explained.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said. "Why on Earth could I not have thought of that?" She reached for the phone. Just as she brought the receiver to her ear, the desk lamp went out. A loud "whirr" could be heard as the building lost power.

The two women looked around the dark precinct. "Well," Alex said as she set down the phone. "So much for that plan."

Olivia laughed. "Yeah, it looks like we're stuck," she said as she leaned back in her chair. The two women regarded each other in silence. Olivia looked at Alex's blue eyes, sparkling even in the dark. Alex studied Olivia's face, looking for any trace of emotions, anything that would enable her to guess at what the detective was thinking…

It was Olivia who finally broke the pregnant silence.

"So," she said awkwardly. Alex smiled.

"So," she replied playfully.

A gurgling noise interrupted whatever conversation had been about to start. Alex laughed and put her hand on her stomach.

"I haven't eaten," she explained. "I forgot to. I was so busy with work."

Olivia stood and grabbed a flashlight from a drawer in her desk. "Well, there's no sense in letting all of the perishables in the fridge go to waste," she said as she flicked the flashlight on. "Feel like raiding the fridge?"

Alex stood. "Sounds like fun!"

Olivia held the door open for Alex, who stepped through gracefully. "My, my! Feeling chivalrous, are we?" she teased the brunette. Olivia laughed.

The door closed behind the detective and the two women ventured off into the dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex and Olivia were bent over, their heads in the fridge as they surveyed the food inside. The light of the fridge lit up the room with a soft yellow glow.

"I haven't done this since I was about 15," Alex said with a laugh as Olivia passed her a carton of chocolate milk.

"Oh yeah?" Olivia asked as she dug in the back for the can of whipped cream she knew was hidden behind the empty takeout cartons.

"Mm-hmm," Alex said as she removed a jar of peanut butter from the pantry. "I was home from boarding school for Christmas break, and I had brought my friend Lindsay with me. Her parents lived in Europe, so it was far away for her to go. And her parents were traveling that week, too."

"That must have been disappointing for her," Olivia said. She set the whipped cream on the table and returned to the fridge.

"Yeah, it was," Alex replied with a nod. She took a spoon from a drawer. "But anyway… My mother had denied me second portions at dinner because she thought I was eating too much at school. So Lindsay and I snuck down to the kitchen when everyone was asleep, and we spent an hour or two just stuffing our faces with whatever we could find." Alex sat down at the table, her eyes glazed over with the memory.

Olivia shut the fridge and placed the last item on the table. The women surveyed their loot; A jar of peanut butter, a can of whipped cream, crackers, strawberry yogurt, leftover Pad Thai, and a Ziploc bag full of cherries.

The detective sat across from Alex. She opened the bag of cherries and popped one into her mouth. She watched Alex twist off the top of the peanut butter, dip her spoon in and eat the spread right off of the utensil. Olivia laughed.

Alex looked over at her with guilty eyes and a playful smile. "Hey, if you're going to raid the fridge like a teenager, you might as well go all the way and eat like one, too," she reasoned as she licked the last of the peanut butter off of the spoon. Olivia nodded, digging into the Pad Thai with a fork.

"That's fair." She ate some of the noodles. Alex picked up a fork and followed suit.

Within half an hour the crackers and peanut butter were gone, the cherry pits lay on a napkin beside them, and the yogurt lay forgotten. There was one bite of Pad Thai left. Olivia picked it up with her fork and studied it. Alex sighed.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"That Pad Thai was _really _good," she said wistfully, gazing at Olivia's fork.

The detective rolled her eyes and exhaled. She held the fork out towards Alex, who grinned and ate the last bite with Olivia still holding the fork.

"Love you, Olivia," she said with her mouth full. Olivia smiled. Her eyes fell to the whipped cream. But before she could even reach for it, Alex had grabbed it and uncapped it. The blonde woman tilted her head back and dispensed a good portion of the stuff directly into her mouth. She smiled childishly at Olivia.

"Hey, save some for me!" Olivia said as she took the can from Alex's hand. Alex smiled as she watched the brunette dispense an equally healthy amount of whipped cream into her own mouth.

Olivia swallowed and smiled at the ADA. Alex laughed.

"What now?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, Liv, you've got some stuff…" Alex trailed off. She reached out to Olivia's lips and wiped away a bit of whipped cream with her index finger.

Olivia was shocked. The woman's touch was so gentle, so tender. Her lips tingled where Alex's finger had brushed them seconds before. Her heart raced and her stomach felt as if it had fallen right through the floor.

Alex saw the effect she had on Olivia, and was vaguely pleased. She smiled and wiped the whipped cream on a napkin.

When Olivia's eyes had focused on Alex's face again, the blonde smiled.

"So… What now?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Well," Olivia said, "We've got no power. So what is there to do, really?"

They sat in silence. After a minute, Alex looked up. "Well, there's no sense in sitting in the dark kitchen. I'm going to grab myself a bed." She stood. "Come with me. I'll be bored with nobody to talk to."

Olivia stood, happy to oblige. "Then what do you do at home alone if you're so bored?"

Alex held the door open for Olivia. "At home, I have television."

Olivia smiled and the two women walked side by side down the hallway, Olivia still shining the flashlight on their path. Not many words were exchanged between them as they made their way to the beds.

Alex collapsed on a bunk. Olivia sat on the bed across from her. The ADA held out her hand in protest.

"No, come sit here." She patted the space next to her. "I'll be able to hear you better."

Olivia shrugged and obeyed. Once they were settled, the silence fell again. Alex scanned her mind for something to say to her co-worker… She had the feeling that neither of them would enjoy telling their life stories. Work was the last thing anybody wanted to talk about. The weather was so cliché. She began to get nervous, feeling the tension in the air thicken. She let out a sigh of relief when Olivia opened her mouth to speak.

"You ever do shadow puppets?" she asked the blonde, a mischievous glint in her eye and a smile playing on her lips.

"I tried once or twice, but I was never very good," Alex confessed. At this, Olivia crossed her legs on the bed and turned to face Alex. She handed her the flashlight.

"Hold this," she instructed, "And point it at the wall." Alex did as she was told, smirking all the while. She watched as the detective rolled up her sleeves and began curling her hands up into odd shapes.

"I used to lie awake in bed for hours when I was little," Olivia said as she adjusted the position of her finger. "I would make shapes with my hands and do shadow puppets against the wall with the light from the streetlamp right outside my window."

Alex stayed silent. She knew that it was rare for Olivia to offer any information about her life or childhood, and Alex felt privileged to have been allowed access into that private part of Olivia's life, if only for a moment.

"There. What do you see?" The detective asked Alex. When Alex looked at the wall, she was astonished to see a very accurate image of a rabbit. She laughed.

"How did you do that?" she asked. Olivia moved her hands around and produced a different shape, this time a duck.

"Oh, it's easy!" she said, taking the flashlight from Alex. "Here. Try to do the duck."

Alex arranged her hands like Olivia had, only her duck looked more like an oddly-shaped lollipop. Olivia stifled a guffaw as Alex struggled to correct the figure. She set down the flashlight so it was shining directly upwards, illuminating both of their faces and Alex's hands.

"Here," she said. "Let me help." Olivia put her hands on Alex's and began to arrange them properly.

Alex desperately tried to ignore the clenching in the pit of her stomach. She was hyper-aware of Olivia's hands on hers, moving them around and bending them into the correct positions. She stared at Olivia's eyes, which were looking intently at what she was doing.

Olivia felt herself blush when she touched Alex's skin. Her face grew hot as she continued to arrange the blonde woman's hands. Her friend's gaze suddenly seemed intimate and deep, which embarrassed Olivia. She kept her eyes trained on what she was doing.

"There," she said as she removed her hands and picked up the flashlight to angle it towards the wall once more. Alex's stomach relaxed, but her heart was still beating rapidly.

When she looked at the wall, she saw that her hands blocked the light in such a way that a duck could be seen on the wall, just as Olivia had done.

"Wow," she said vaguely. "That's really cool."

Olivia laughed. Alex turned her head and caught the brunette's eye. They looked at each other and smiled.

Just then, a crack of lightning followed by the rumble of thunder disturbed the silence. Alex jumped and withdrew from the direction of the window, right into Olivia's arms. She stayed there, shaking.

Olivia was bewildered. Still, she wrapped her arms around the woman and stroked her back gently. "Shhhh," she crooned. "It's okay, it was just thunder."

Alex took a deep breath. "I know," she said weakly. "Just a residual childhood fear, I guess… Thunderstorms were pretty scary when most of the rooms in the needlessly massive house were unpopulated." She tried to collect herself and sat up. Olivia looked into her eyes, concerned.

"I'm sorry," Alex hung her head. "I feel so stupid now… Freaking out like that."

"No, Alex, don't be." Olivia lifted Alex's chin so that she was forced to look into her eyes. "It's okay, it really is."

It was then that both women realized just how close their faces were.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex's heart was racing as she met the detective's eyes. She raised her own hand and put it on Olivia's cheek.

Without thinking, Olivia impulsively closed the distance between herself and Alex. Their lips met, unmoving, simply making contact.

Alex closed her eyes automatically, finding herself unable to believe what was happening. She did nothing to deepen the kiss, she just wanted to enjoy the moment. Something inside her cried out when Olivia pulled back abruptly.

"Oh God." Olivia paused and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. I- I don't know…" She stood and began pacing.

Alex reached out. "It's okay, Liv."

Olivia didn't pay attention. "I'm really tired, and… I just wasn't thinking. Oh God. Oh God, I am so sorry."

Alex stood. "Liv, it's okay. It really is." She approached the distressed woman, who was still babbling excuses for herself. She turned to look up at Alex.

"I'm so embarrassed, Alex, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it-"

But Olivia could not get another word in, because Alex had cut her off with a kiss. The blonde trapped Olivia against the wall and pulled her closer. Their mouths moved in tandem, like the most beautiful dance in the world. Olivia surrendered to the desire that had been building up in her heart all night and closed her eyes, tangling her hands in Alex's long blonde hair.

Alex pulled away slowly. "Well, you may not have meant it," she whispered. "But I did."

The distance between them was closed once more. Alex's heart fluttered when she felt Olivia's hand moving slowly up her back, underneath her shirt.

Olivia could barely breathe- whether this was from the excitement of the moment or simply the fact that her airway was currently blocked by the most beautiful person on Earth, she couldn't tell. Her hand glided up the ADA's back. When she felt a lacy bra strap, she moved her hand slowly to Alex's chest.

Alex broke the kiss when she felt Olivia's hand make contact with her flesh. "Oh God," she gasped. She looked into Olivia's eyes. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting," she said. Olivia smiled.

"I think I might." Their lips met with more force this time, the kiss growing more and more urgent by the minute. Alex let her hands wander as Olivia led her towards one of the bunks and lay down. Not once did they break contact with one another.

Suddenly, Alex looked up. Her eyes had a wild, alarmed look.

"Did you hear that?"


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia looked up, listening attentively for what Alex had heard.

A door slammed.

"Shit," Alex whispered in a panic. She and Olivia separated, standing and rearranging their clothing so they looked as decent as possible.

"Am I okay?" Alex asked Olivia as she smoothed her blouse.

"Always," the detective answered. Alex smiled. Footsteps brought their attention back to the situation at hand. Olivia, being the one with a gun, stepped in front of Alex and pushed her gently backwards. She rested her hand on the doorknob and looked at Alex. Alex nodded reassuringly. Olivia took a deep breath and opened the door.

The detective peeked into the precinct. She could see a tall, shadowy figure standing by the door. It was still. Alex opened her mouth to say something, but Olivia shushed her silently. She tiptoed into the room, leaving Alex standing by the door.

Olivia had her gun drawn as she approached the figure. Suddenly, the building whirred back to life, the lights flickering on. As her eyes got used to the light, she saw Elliot standing by the door, his gun also drawn and pointing at her. She immediately lowered her own weapon.

"Elliot!" she said. The man sighed and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Christ, Liv, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he said as he replaced his gun in its holster. "What are you doing here?"

"The storm stranded me," she explained. Suddenly, she felt a hand on the small of her back. She turned around to see Alex standing behind her, smiling.

"Hello, Detective," she greeted Elliot.

"Cabot," Elliot looked perplexed. "What…"

"My car broke down," she explained. "Lucky for me Olivia was still here. I don't know what I would have done here alone." Olivia struggled not to laugh as she felt Alex's hand find its way under her shirt and snake up her body.

"Oh, well I could give you a hand," Elliot offered.

"Sure, that'd be great," Alex smiled appreciatively. She removed her hand slowly from the Olivia's back, tracing down her spine with her finger. "I'll go get my things."

Elliot nodded as Alex headed to the desks to get her coat and briefcase. Olivia stepped closer to her co-worker and spoke in a low voice.

"What are you doing here, El?"

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Well, Kathy wasn't too happy with me when I got home, so…" Olivia nodded understandingly.

"You thought you'd borrow a bed for the night."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah."

Olivia patted his shoulder as Alex approached the once again. She turned to Olivia. "You want a ride? You shouldn't spend what's left of the night here."

Olivia smiled. "Sure, thanks, Alex."

Elliot turned and beckoned to the women. "Let's go," he said. Alex and Olivia looked at each other, smiled, and followed Elliot out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Alex and Olivia were sitting in Alex's car, with Olivia huddled in the passenger seat and Alex resting her hands on the wheel. The hood of the car fell shut as Elliot started to wrap up the jump cables. He gave the blonde the thumbs-up.

Alex turned the key slowly, and clapped her hands together once upon hearing the engine roar to life. She waved at Elliot, who headed back to the building. Olivia sighed as the car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Alex was an attentive driver, always keeping her eyes glued to the road when they weren't checking the mirrors. Tonight, though, she found it very hard to focus for some reason. She suspected that the reason was named Olivia Benson, the beautiful brunette sitting to her immediate right.

"The rain's died off a bit," Olivia said, trying to make casual conversation. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, though, she knew that they would be useless. The sentence practically jumped off her lips, diving into the thick sexual tension only to float around, unabsorbed.

"Mmm," Alex replied. She felt bad about the lack of animation in her answer, but was busy fighting the urge to pull over and take Olivia into her arms that very instant.

Olivia gave up trying to lighten the mood and took to watching Alex. The woman was absolutely stunning! Olivia marveled at the pure colour and clarity of her blue eyes, the perfection of her porcelain complexion, the marvelous curves of her face and her perfect pink lips. Olivia felt herself begin to reach out to touch them, but she caught herself.

The car slowed to a stop in front of a red light. Alex took her hands off the wheel for a moment and turned to look at Olivia. She was surprised, but pleased, to see that Olivia was already looking at her.

"I had a really great time raiding the fridge," Alex said. Olivia smiled.

"Yeah, me too."

The women looked at one another. Olivia felt like she should say something more, but the silence didn't need to be broken. Neither of them felt awkward.

Alex reached over and placed her hand on Olivia's thigh. "Thanks," she said warmly.

"Anytime," Olivia whispered, completely robbed of breath. Her pulse pounded in her ears as Alex smiled and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze.

Suddenly, a horn honked. Both women jumped. Alex's hand left Olivia's thigh and was back on the wheel in an instant. They realized that the light was green and that there were many angry drivers behind them, waiting for them to move. Alex grinned sheepishly at Olivia as she pressed on the gas pedal and continued down the road.

A few minutes passed before either of them spoke again. Olivia pointed to a brown apartment to the left of the street just ahead of them. "That's me right there," she advised Alex, who nodded.

"Okay," she said simply.

Olivia had her things collected and she was poised to unbuckle her belt when Alex careened by the building and took a right.

"Hey, Alex? You missed my building."

"We're not going to your building, Detective," Alex said with a sly grin. Olivia couldn't help but smile as she settled in for the ride.


	7. Chapter 7

The car pulled up in front of a red-brick building that was home to several upscale lofts. It was not especially tall, but one could tell from the spacing of the windows that the living quarters were spacious. Olivia stared up at the structure from where the car was parked.

"You live here?" she asked Alex.

"Yeah," she said as she slammed the car door. "But it's nicer inside."

Olivia looked over at Alex, who was smiling coyly. She walked over to her and followed her into the building.

The elevator ride up was excruciating for both of them. Both women were physically relaxed, but inside they were enormously keyed up. All Olivia could think about was how close she finally was to this intelligent, sexy woman. She had to fight the urge to pin Alex against the wall and kiss her as she had in the precinct. The woman was like a magnet. Olivia could scarcely keep her hands off her. Somehow, though, she managed.

Alex was fighting a battle of her own. The woman standing next to her exuded a raw sensuality unlike anything that Alex had ever felt before. Olivia was so real, so involved. Alex could barely stand to be alone with her unless she could actually carry out all of the actions running through her mind.

The elevator announced its arrival with a small "ping". _Soon I will be able to,_ Alex told herself as she stepped out of the elevator. _Soon…_

Alex led Olivia down the wide hallway and stopped at the last door on the right hand side. She opened the door, holding it for Olivia as she entered.

As soon as Alex locked and bolted the door, the women were attached to one another. Their kiss was fevered. Alex ran her hands through Olivia's hair and pulled her closer as the detective shook her coat off her shoulders.

Alex's shoes and suit jacket were soon discarded, along with Olivia's sweater. Within minutes, Olivia found herself on the couch, lying on top of Alex. Taking advantage of her position, she slowly pulled her face away from the blonde's. Alex looked up at her with a bewildered gaze.

"What?" she whispered, out of breath. Olivia sighed.

"I just need to look at you," she said. "Do you know how long I've been telling myself not to look at you?"

Alex cocked her head to one side. "You've got all the time in the world to look, Liv," she breathed. Her hand traveled up to Olivia's face and she brushed a lock of dark hair out of the woman's eyes. She exhaled.

"You," she whispered, "are _so _beautiful."

Olivia simply stared into the endless blue of Alex's eyes. She lowered her face closer to Alex's, and stopped just as their noses were side by side. They stayed like that, Alex stroking Olivia's cheek, relishing the feeling of closeness and comfort.

It was some time before Olivia closed the space between their faces once more. The kiss was slow, full of renewed passion. As the embrace went on, though, it gained a new sense of urgency as hands and tongues explored new territory. Finally, Alex broke away.

"No," she said, and Olivia sat up. This allowed Alex to get to her feet. Olivia looked up at her, utterly confused. Realizing this, Alex took Olivia's hand.

"What I mean is that it can't happen like this. We need to do it properly." She pulled Olivia off the couch and, with a flirtatious smile, led her to the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Olivia opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the bright morning light. She groaned and rolled over. She relished the feeling of the soft white sheets on her skin. Then, she realized something.

These weren't her sheets.

She looked to her right. Her heart fluttered when she saw Alex sleeping peacefully next to her, her lips slightly parted and her blue eyes covered by the most delicate lids. The blonde's long eyelashes rested like butterflies on her rosy cheeks. Neither she nor Olivia was wearing clothes.

Olivia slipped out of the bed as silently as she could, careful not to wake Alex. Having nothing else to wear, she donned her underwear and sweater from the day before, and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

This was the first time she had actually looked around the ADA's apartment, having been otherwise engaged the previous night. The ceilings were high, with metal pipes and vents exposed in a very chic style. The walls were a mixture of brick and drywall. The drywall was painted an eggshell colour, and was decorated with a few framed watercolours that featured yellow and red flowers.

To Olivia's left was a sitting area with a couch- the same couch that she and Alex had laid on last night. Besides that, there were two chairs and a glass coffee table. A light green area rug underneath the table provided the corner with a splash of colour.

In front of Olivia was the kitchen- modern and outfitted with the best appliances. Stainless steel refrigerator and stove, granite countertops. A very well-loved espresso machine was next to the microwave.

To the right was the door to the hallway and a small entryway that Olivia had been too busy to notice last night. A shoe rack and closet were the only things worth taking note of in that section of the apartment.

Olivia was startled out of her observations by two hands encircling her waist from behind.

"Morning," Alex said as she kissed Olivia's ear. Olivia turned around and wrapped her arms around the blonde. Alex went in for a kiss, but Olivia turned away at the last instant.

"What?" she asked.

"Morning breath," Olivia answered with a sheepish smile. "Do you have any mouthwash I could use?"

Alex laughed, gesturing to a door behind her. "Bathroom. There's some on the counter."

Olivia broke away and headed for the bathroom. Alex walked into the kitchen and began to prepare two espressos.

Moment later, Olivia walked out of the bathroom and was greeted by the smell of fresh coffee. She breathed in the scent and went to join Alex at the counter.

"For you," Alex said as she pushed one of the espresso cups towards Olivia. The brunette gratefully accepted it and took a mouthful of the hot liquid.

"Do you have any pants I could wear?" Olivia asked Alex. "I don't really feel like putting on my work clothes."

"Who needs pants?" Alex said with a coy smile, walking around the counter to join Olivia. "You seemed to be pretty comfortable without them last night." She brought her lips down to meet Olivia's.

Olivia laughed into the kiss. The smell of coffee and Alex filled her senses.

Alex pulled away and looked into Olivia's deep brown eyes. Ever the practical one, she opened her mouth and asked Olivia the question that had been in both of their minds all morning.

"So what does… this… mean for us?" she asked cautiously.

"I- I don't know if I can answer that right now," Olivia said, her eyes cast down. "I do know that I have been waiting for this for a long time."

Alex held back a smile. "Me, too," she answered.

"Well, then," Olivia looked up into Alex's eyes and raised a hand to rest on her hair. "I say that we just see where this takes us," she said.

Alex smiled and pulled Olivia's face close to hers so that their foreheads were touching. "I like that," she said.

Olivia pulled away and walked towards the large windows, gazing out at Manhattan. The city law sprawled out in front of her, fresh and glistening with promise after the rain. Olivia felt Alex's arms snake around her body, holding her close. When she looked into Alex's eyes, the same excitement stayed in her heart.

"Liv?"

"Yeah, Alex?" she replied.

"Can we spend the next rainstorm at your place?"

Olivia smiled and kissed Alex. "Anything you want, baby. Anything you want."


End file.
